.005 Resolutions

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[A: Phone (Open to All)]

[It's pretty late at night and Al is at the end of his rope. Ed has been avoiding him, he utterly failed to protect anyone he cared about when the town went to hell, and he was once more trapped in this stupid armour body. His voice is high pitched in a mix of distress and determination, coming all in a rush down the phones.]

I've had enough!

I'm not going to let this town hurt anyone I care about any more, and I'm not going to let anyone else get hurt. I know... I know I can't protect everybody, but I can help teach people who don't know how to protect themselves.

So... come to the park in the morning if you want to learn, and together we can help make sure that we can give this place a really good fight!

[B: Park (Open to All)]

[Sure enough, mid morning finds one Alphonse Elric in the park, ready to teach anyone who shows up. He knows a lot of people here are competent already, and that some wouldn't want his lessons. But if he can help even one person get better at defending themselves, then he's done a good job.]

[C: 1649 Albright Lane (Locked to Ed)]

[He has had more than enough of Ed avoiding him. He knew from others what had happened to Brother during the carnival, and he is furious that Ed hadn't come to find him as soon as it was all over. He has been around himself a few times since, but he always seems to mysteriously miss his big brother.

Not today.

He's hammering on the door loudly, big metal fist making a furious pounding that shakes the door.]

BROTHER! BROTHER, OPEN THE DOOR!

Comments

[unexculpable]

[...................

Shit.

Nope.

NOPE HE IS NOT OPENING THAT DOOR. NOPE NOPE NOPE.

And then somehow Ed finds himself downstairs, hand on the doorknob and he's opening the stupid door and everything hurts and nothing is beautiful.]

What the hell d'you want, Al?

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[The worry and the anger that it had bred is building to a climax, and Ed's stupid demand when he opens the door is the last straw.

Fingers balling into a fist, he draws his arm back and lets a full-on punch swing for Ed's face without a second's delay.]

[unexculpable]

[See this is why he didn't want to open the door, Al.

Al's fist finds its target easily and when it connects the impact sends Ed reeling. He stumbles backwards, falling flat on his ass in the entrance way.]

WHAT WAS THAT FOR?

[Shut up Edward you know exactly what that was for.]

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[The hollow space inside his chest hurts, and he stomps in after Ed to bend down and curl his fingers into his brother's shirt. Lifting him right up and off his feet, he drew his fist back to land another punch on his face.]

You're an IDIOT, Brother. You're a real... idiot.

[He slams his brother back against the wall, leaning the full weight of his armour onto his shoulders to keep him pinned, light of his eyes glowing brightly in fury.]

I was so WORRIED!

[unexculpable]

[He should have seen this coming. It was really only a matter of time before Al tracked him down and subsequently beat the ever loving shit out of him for pulling a stupid stunt like this.

He isn't able to pull himself up off the ground because before he can so much as blink, Al's hand is curled in his shirt and his feet are dangling a few feet off of the ground. His hand shoots up to grab onto Al's wrist and it's clear his brother isn't going to give him a chance to say anything.

There is a distinctive, sharp crunch as Al's fist connects with his face and the blinding white pain is more than enough to tell him that there's a good chance his nose is broken. His back hits the wall hard, knocking the wind out of him.

Ed just hangs there in his brother's grip as he tries to catch his breath, saying absolutely nothing in response.]

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[Al isn't even sorry he broke Ed's nose.

To see the blood is welcome, it's red and glistening and fresh, the blood of a live person and not a corpse. He doesn't understand how Brother could have not sought him out as soon as he came back and, worse, how he could have actively avoided Al finding him.

His metal arms are trembling just enough that a quiet clanking sound fills the air, fingers curling even tighter into Ed's shirt and voice shaking.]

I was so... worried. You're such an idiot, Brother! Did you think I'd be mad because you-- because you got hurt? I'm mad you ran away from me afterwards, you big... STUPID.

[That's a valid insult, and Al is powering on anyway.]

I thought we were always going to move forwards together, not run away from each other and wallow. You're so... so... STUPID!

[His fingers are finally loosening, letting Ed slip to the ground as he bends forwards and gathers Ed into a tight hug against his chest, shoulders shaking with the tears that he can't cry no matter how hard he tried.]

...Idiot.

[unexculpable]

[Oh. Oh Alphonse. There were a lot of reasons Ed didn't look for Al after he came back. Back home this kind of thing never happened because Al was always there to catch him and pull him back out of whatever emotional hole he'd dug for himself. Al was always around.

This wasn't the case in Mayfield.

They didn't live in the same house. It was sickeningly easy to avoid his brother.

And how could he have faced him after everything? He was useless and pathetic. He let himself get hurt, he... he died He couldn't help anyone, couldn't save anyone. He'd been here for almost a year and what had he accomplished? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But Al was here and he was shaking with anger and worry, with the tears he would never be able to cry.

He slid down against the wall until he was sitting on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. His head was still spinning, he could feel the blood trickling down his face, but that wasn't what hurt. God... he was such an awful older brother. He swallows hard, his voice soft and a bit strained.]

I'm... I'm sorry, Al.

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Don't be sorry.

[He isn't sure whether he feels angry any more, or whether he just wants to cling to Ed and never let go again. His big brother was his only family, all he had left, and he hated that anything could have hurt him this way.

He sinks to the floor as well, sliding to sit beside his brother and lean against him shoulder to shoulder.]

Just be okay, and... stay with me.

[unexculpable]

I'm not sure if I know how to be ok anymore.

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You know that's not true, Brother.

[He's not going to humour self-pity, he knows Ed and he have been through hell and back and still moved forwards, they can do it again.]

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[He leans heavily against his brother, closing his eyes as he runs a hand through his hair.]

... I really screwed up, didn't I?

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Mm.

[Sorry Ed, he's not going to deny it.]

But it doesn't matter, you just have to stand up and keep moving.